A humbling experience...

What a privilege it has been living in Ghana, working with and getting to know Ghanaian people, culture and way of life. I would not have traded this life changing, eye opening experience for anything – I am so bless to have had this opportunity.

While I can only hope that the children I met and interacted with here in Ghana did indeed benefited in some small way from my presence and work, I thank them deeply for what they gave to me. Their charm, enthusiasm, ray of hope and faith won over my heart.

I’ll miss the call of “Miss Canada” or “Natalia” from the children I passed each and every day as I walked to work, the little faces that peeked out of classroom windows during each and every school visit and the one on one conversations I had with children hearing about them, their life, their story, their struggles, hopes and dreams for the future. It is these callings, these little faces and these stories that ground me, keep me humble and inspire me each and every day.

I ask everyone to not take for granted all we have, as items such as food, water, medical care, and the notion of opportunity are present in our lives daily. Availability and access to clean and safe drinking water and food is not the reality for many in developing nations. Nor is basic education. Medicine too is most often not available in moments of sickness and medical care in emergency situations is not a phone call away.

I thank you children of Ghana for all you gave to me. Having gained a much greater and richer understanding of Ghanaian culture and way of life, I am far better able to assist with efforts to improve quality of life and quality of education for children in Ghana. With the sound of their little voices in my head, and pictures of their charming faces in my mind, I hope to do just that.

Madina Primary School

Wednesday December 2, 2009

Today I had the opportunity to visit Madina Primary School. Medina is located in the Greater Accra Region. The afternoon I spent at the school went very well. I had the opportunity to speak with the Head Mistress and her Assistant - they were wonderful to speak with. Our conversation was in depth and very informative, but I will just summarize my findings for you.

1) The following is a list of what the school needs:
- First Aid supplies: for cuts and scratches that happen during recess and lunch
- Notebooks and writing materials: many students cannot afford these
- Funding for students to buy uniforms: most students only have one that is torn and worn out
- Shoes: many students come to school with no shoes, shoes that are too small or these plastic shoes they have here, because they are cheap to buy. These shoes create blisters, cuts and sores - especially in this heat.

2) The Case of Salome
There is a little girl in the school, Salome - she is in Grade 6. She has poor eye sight, and also some problems hearing. I am very concerned about her because her Aunt (whom she lives with), is not responding to the Head Mistresses and teachers request to come to the school and speak with them about the situation and agree to take her to the eye doctor and get her glasses. Salome has had eye problems for 3 years now - she cannot effectively learn and I am very concerned that her eye sight and hearing it getting worse because it is not being taken care of. There is much more to this case but this is the gist of it. I have arranged for this unfortunate situation to be made a case here in the office and the school has agreed to follow up with my supervisor on the the status of Salome. We need to get this girl in to see an eye doctor and determine what the problem is and solve it. I hope glasses will correct her sight problem and it is nothing more serious. I'm so happy I was here to bring attention to this situation.

Thursday December 3, 2009
On another note: Today I submitted an article on Education Rights to a paper here in Ghana (Daily Guide) - We'll see if it gets published!

Tuesday December 1, 2009

Today we visited the Remand center - which is located just up the street from our office. Here minors, both boys and girls are housed if they have been convicted of a crime or if there case is still pending. We had some items to donate to the facility. After the donation was made, those of us who had not been before were given a tour. It was very upsetting to tour the grounds, see where they are housed and hear the stories. Those who run the facilities are genuinely trying to run the program to best benefit the children - but the lack of funding greatly hinders these efforts. The children are receiving some education while there, but that's it. There is nothing for them to do, arts and crafts, read..nothing. Rather, then spend their time sitting around in their room one the 4 inch mattresses they call beds. There is simply no money, no resources. The boys room was particularly disturbing. Not all the boys have a mattress to sleep on, the room is bare, bars on the windows - locked in. We went in and the boys where there - they all politely said hello, but they looked sad and lost. There are boys as young at 9 years old here, some serving a year sentence - at 9 years old. Truly heartbreaking to witness. Our role in this center is to ensure the youth have representation and that their rights are being protected.

Calvary School

Monday November 30, 2009

Today I visited another school. My roommate is in the HIV/AIDS awareness program and so while she and her team spoke with the students I had the opportunity to speak with the Head Master. Our conversation was very informative, for the both of us. We spoke about the lack of funding and the various challenges the school faces in their efforts to provide education. It is a private school, but regardless the available funding and resources are scarce. This is a great example of how you cannot assume that "Private" schooling means adequate facilities and good quality education - this is not always the case. After graciously offering me a cold drink and cookies he gave me a tour of the school. The school does have a computer lab - but the computers are very old (25 yrs old or older) and not all are working. Building of the school library has been suspended due to lack of funds since 1998...yes 1998! Over 10 years! This is a picture of what is suppose to be the school library.

Kakum & Cape Coast

Friday November 27, 2009 - Sunday November 29, 2009

This was my last weekend in Ghana, and a great one it was! We spent the weekend South, in Kakum Friday night and Cape Coast Saturday night. We visited the Kakum National Park - here we did the canopy walk and hike. It was a 5am start to the day - which worked out great because the park isnt busy at the time, there were very few people there. The canopy walkway passes over 7 bridges and is extremely high! (not sure the exact height). The walk across each canopy was very shaky, as the walkway would sway back and forth as you walked across - a little nerving i must admit! Following this we went on a guided hike through the park. We didnt see any animals unfortunately but saw many different species of trees and learnt about there common usages - Very fun morning!

Before leaving our hotel in Kakum we had the opportunity to feed and "touch" the alligators. The hotel we stayed in was build on and around alligator swamps and territory. We were told that there are just over 40 alligators in the waters that surround the hotel - we were lucky enough to see three! One in particular we got to know much better and we feed it mini chickens and as well touched it. (see pic - me totally on guard going in for a touch!). Yes, the hotel workers were laughing at me as I thought about it realistically...I thought to myself "the alligator at any minute could just turn his head and snap at me!" But then...I just did it - no regrets!

Later that day we traveled to Cape Coast. Here we visited the Cape Coast Castle. The Castle was first build for trade in timber and gold but later it was used for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. This is what it is most known for. Not sure if anyone saw it on CNN but President Obama visited the Castle this past summer. This Castle was one of the largest slave housing/trading ports in the world. Standing and walking on the ground where horrific, inhumane atrocities took place was overwhelming. We had a guide walk us through the Castle which I always enjoy, because it gives you a richer understanding and appreciation for the space and its history. I am very happy to have had the opportunity to experience it. (see pic)

New Puppy

Friday November 26, 2009

No work today. It is the "The Feast of Sacrifice" - a Muslim holiday/celebration.
I woke up early had breakfast and planned to go shopping for material and then go see the dress maker. I would like to get a few dresses/skirts made before I come home. The materials are just beautiful and the dress styles are so unique.
I went to leave my house in the morning and noticed that the family living down stairs from us got a new puppy. At first I wasnt sure if this puppy had a home - dogs wander the streets here and arent taken care of the same as at home. So I asked and the family and they said "yes this is our new puppy - she just arrived today". She was getting no attention, was shaking, scared and so skinny. My material shopping trip was put on hold for the time being. I went and got the puppy food and I sacrificed one of my two towels to make her a bed. I spent about an hour with her making her feel safe and tried to feed her. Finally she settled in the bed I made her :) I cant help but keep checking up on her! - I think (no I know) the family thinks I'm crazy! haha

Talks

Thursday November 26, 2009

Talks:

"Framing a Constitution of Ghana for the 21st Century"
Speaker: H. Kwasi Prempeh
British Council Hall

"Breaking the Silence Surrounding Violence Against Women"
International Conference Center Accra